Uncharted Territory
How we doing? I don't even know how to answer that question so I'm not sure why I opened with that, but it seems appropriate to ask, so we'll go with it. COVID-19 is nothing to really joke about, but who wishes they coined the phrase "social distancing?" I mean come on, that phrase is so perfect and has definitely been done before. Who hasn't "socially distanced" themselves from an annoying co-worker, a friend you've spent too much time with or even your S.O. (significant other) from time to time - I mean we've been doing this for years for different lengths of time, but that phrase has never been said until now. I'm going to go on record today and say "social distancing" will be the WORD of 2020, much like "selfie" was the word of circa 2013.
Anyhow, now that we are socially distanced from all the things we know and love and we have been forced to navigate uncharted territory, I thought it may be helpful to make a list of things to pass the time. I've actually long handed this list with details on scratch paper and slowly plan to plug away at each item while this social distancing lasts. In no particular order, these are the things I'm going to do to pass the time when I'm not shooting hoops, playing dollies, and coordinating homeschooling regimens! :)
Start a new hobby - I ordered a knitting kit from Shit That I Knit and am going to attempt to learn to knit via their Facebook group and online tutorials - why not?
You could start a new workout regimen - tons of people are offering free periods of time for their workout apps like Peloton, Melissa Wood, and 'obe Fitness. You could even try You Tubing yoga classes or finding a different workout/day on Pintrest (my personal fave)
Read a few books on your must-read list. If you need some reccos, follow Reese's Book Club (Reese Witherspoon's book club) or Read With Jenna (Jenna Bush Hager's book club) - they have a laundry list of books they've read and it appears there is something for everyone
Learn how to cook something new or bake something that's been of interest to you or just bake cookies for goodness sake - only if you have enough of the essentials of course. I'm personally going to learn how to bake sourdough bread via my friend Bailey Rae's Kitchen - she's doing an Instagram tutorial day by day. Bread making has been on my short list for a while now....and I've got nothin but time.
Pick an area of your house each week (we're beyond each day people, we'll be at this for weeks) and organize it/purge the things you don't need. This is also of high priority for me as we were hoping to buy a bigger home this Spring - even if that plan is on hold, I'll be thankful I did some organization. The Home Edit has recently featured a 14 day mini home edit which I think is genius.
Start a streak challenge, such as how many evenings can you go without your phone for 2 hours? How many evenings or mornings can you go for a 20 minute walk despite the unpredictable Spring elements? How many mornings can you wake up and make your bed? Or how many days in a row can you get rid of something made by China? (Too son?) Whatever the challenge is, give it your best shot, it's good for your mind and soul and gives you a little goal to work towards. I'm trying to workout 5 days/week and stay off my phone from 5pm-8pm each evening.
Do one thing per week around your house you've been wanting to get done for months, such as wash your makeup brushes, learn how to paint your own nails if you're a routine nail salon goer (tutorial coming soon via yours truly), wash all your delicate items like sweaters, etc, pull the cushions off your couch and chairs and vacuum underneath them (SO GROSS!), filter through Instagram and unfollow whoever bugs you, or better yet, clean out your inbox and unsubscribe from all the accounts you want to stop receiving emails from. I have friends that operate with thousands of emails in their inbox at all times. Now is the time friends, now is the time. I personally plan on washing my make up brushes and doing some gradual deep cleaning.
But most importantly, do not stop being a good person and do the right thing for your community and local healthcare system! We're in this together and if there is ever a time to be grateful you live in the United States of America, the greatest nation on Earth, now is the time!
So there you have it - these are the things I'm going to work on to keep my mind and body busy and not think about COVID-19 while I'm at home. I do enough of that at my day job. And remember, there are no right or wrong answers here, this is uncharted territory.
Be Well,
AFK